Farming

Pig farmers and meat processor join forces to add value to pork

Published

7 months ago

May 22, 2025

A NEW co-operative formed between West Wales pig farmers and a meat supplier is allowing pork from herds born and reared within the region to be transported for processing just a short distance in a low-throughput abattoir – reducing stress on the animals, providing low food miles meat for consumers and improving producer margins.

The eight Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire-based farmers were brought together by the Farming Connect Agrisgôp initiative after the idea was discussed by Fishguard meat supplier and butcher Martyn Lloyd and Agrisgôp leader Lilwen Joynson.

Martyn had been a member of another Agrisgôp group where Lilwen had helped him to develop his idea for a new processing facility and later, at a Farming Connect mentoring meeting, the idea for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf co-operative was established.

Martyn and his wife, Danielle, had been unable to source low food miles pork for their customers.

“We could get beef and lamb and we have our own poultry but what we were missing was pork, we did our best to find Welsh pork for customers but that pork came with a lot of food miles and that doesn’t fit with our business ethos,’’ Martyn explains.

Developing an abattoir on their farm at Cilshafe presented a solution.

“We wanted to get some pork producers on board, to help them advance their businesses,’’ says Martyn.

“There are a lot of small pig producers in west Wales and many were struggling to work out how best to get their meat to the market but with an existing customer base we could help. We looked to Agrisgôp to help to bring that to life.’’

After the first Agrisgôp meeting, facilitated by Lilwen, the idea took shape.

Agrisgôp is a fully-funded management development programme that encourages eligible farmers to get together to not only develop their businesses, but to personally gain confidence and skills through action learning.

And this is what happened for the Red Dragon Porc Cyf members.

Farmers had been receiving inconsistent prices for their pigs when they marketed as individual businesses and their ability to supply a butcher directly was constrained as meeting supply volume requirements was tricky.

“The farmers shared a mission and were guided on putting their ideas into action,’’ Lilwen explains.

Building trust and confidence was crucial to the process of forming a cooperative.

“Collaboration and open sharing are definitely key,’’ says Lilwen.

“Differences of opinion and thinking had to be overcome and a set of rules and values adopted with individuals accepting that it had to work for the majority since they were no longer operating as individual businesses.’’

For some it even meant changing breeding patterns and breed type to accommodate market demands.

At the end of 2024, Red Dragon Porc Cyf had already marketed £43,000 worth of pork, including sausages which captured awards at last year’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair.

In April, the missing part of the local pork jigsaw slotted into position when the Lloyds started processing pork at their own Food Standards Agency-approved abattoir.

Until then, co-operative members including Will Kerr had to transport their pigs further to be processed.

“We didn’t have any control over prices, the margins were very small,’’ Will admits. “Martyn opening the abattoir in Fishguard has been the catalyst we needed.’’

Will has six Welsh pig breeding sows, which he runs alongside suckler beef and sheep enterprises at his family’s farm, Blaenawen, at Glanrhyd.

He had long been frustrated at the perception of pork being, in his words “the cheap cousin’’ of beef and lamb.

While it has become commonplace for butchers to display the full history of the beef and lamb they are selling, Will points out that this is rarely applied to pork because it is largely sourced wholesale or has been imported.

“We too are now in a position to tell the exciting story of our pork,’’ says Will, who farms with his parents, Mark and Kip.

He sees a major advantage in being part of a co-operative. “As a group we are more powerful, it gives us many advantages, we are already getting a better price for our pigs.

“Without Agrisgôp we would never have come together so we are grateful to Martyn for initiating it with Farming Connect and to Lilwen for pulling us all together.’’

Another member of the group, Ed Walker, also sees big value in collective marketing, that “strength in numbers’’.

“As eight producers we are on a par with commercial farmers as we can offer consistency of supply but we are still individual small producers too.’’

The businessman-turned-farmer produces around 600 pigs a year on an outdoor system at 46-acre Model Farm near Tenby.

His 22 breeding sows are a mixture of Large Whites crossed with a Welsh boar and Oxford Sandy and Blacks which he crosses to a Large White.

Keeping pigs started as hobby, alongside running his own civil engineering business, but it is now more or less a full-time job, with a part-time helper too.

Almost all his sales are through Red Dragon Porc Cyf although he is also licenced to sell meat from the farm as Tenby Woodland Pork.

Before the abattoir was established at Cilshafe, he would need to make a 150-mile round trip to the facility at Maesteg.

The next stage for the co-operative could be to establish a meat box scheme.

The throughput of pigs through the Lloyds’ abattoir, which also processes other livestock, will be small initially but that is projected to increase as sales gain momentum.

The facility has so far has created four full-time jobs and more could follow.

Picture caption:

Collaborating on pork marketing: Pictured from the left are Tom Young, Nic Caine, Martyn Lloyd, Ed Walker, Will Kerr and Lilwen Joynson

Community

Wolfscastle farm’s new shed sparked ‘noise nuisance’ claims

Published

1 week ago

December 5, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE farmer “jumped the gun” in his enthusiasm to build a new cattle shed which includes ‘robot slurry scrapers’ that have been causing a noise nuisance for neighbours, county planners heard.

In a retrospective application recommended for approval at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Aled Jenkins sought permission for a replacement cattle housing and silage clamp at Upper Ty Rhos, Wolfscastle.

An officer report said Upper Ty Rhos consists of a herd of 630 youngstock beef cattle, the applicant seeking permission for the replacement 100-metre-long cattle housing building.

It said the building benefits from a robotic scraping system to internally clean it to improve animal welfare and efficiency.

However, the slurry scraper system in operation has been found to constitute a statutory noise nuisance.

“The introduction of the slurry scraper system has resulted in a new noise source to the locality that is having a significant detrimental impact upon local amenity. The nuisance noise is directly associated with the extended hours of operation of the slurry scraper system and the noise created by the two motors powering the system including the drive mechanism that moves the scraper through the building to remove slurry produced by the housed cattle.

“To further exacerbate the situation, the building has open voids to the eastern gable end, which is within close proximity to the neighbouring property resulting in the building being acoustically weak.

“An acoustic report has been submitted with mitigation methods provided including relocating motors and associated equipment into external enclosures, reduction of noise egress through openings by installing hit-and-miss louvres and/or PVC strip curtains and consideration of blocking the gap between roof pitches along the ridge of the building.”

Three letters of concern were received from members of the public raising concerns including visual and environmental impact, noise issues and a potential for the herd size to increase.

Speaking at the meeting, neighbour Dr Andrew Williams, who stressed he was not seeking to have the shed removed, raised concerns about the noise from the ‘robot scrapers,’ exacerbated by cattle being concentrated in the immediate area from the wider farm complex.

Agent Wyn Harries addressed concerns about the retrospective nature was a result of over-enthusiasm by his client who “jumped the gun”.

He said there was now a scheme that was “fully worked through,” dealing with noise and other issues.

Members backed approval, which includes noise mitigation to address the impact of the robot scrapers; one member, Cllr Tony Wilcox, abstaining on the grounds of the retrospective native of the building “the size of a football field”.

Farming

FUW urges government action as plunging dairy prices threaten family farms

Published

1 week ago

December 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FARMER’s UNION OF WALES has sounded the alarm over a sharp and sustained collapse in dairy prices, warning that the situation is placing intolerable pressure on family farms already grappling with regulatory change, rising costs and wider economic uncertainty.

The Union convened an emergency meeting of its Animal Health and Dairy Committee last week to assess the scale of the crisis. Representatives from across Wales reported widespread anxiety, with many members seeing milk prices fall dramatically through the autumn. Processors are now signalling further cuts in early 2026, while commodity markets offer little sign of stability heading into spring.

Farmers, fearful of jeopardising commercial relationships, have approached the FUW confidentially to express grave concern about projected milk payments for the coming months. Many say the offers being made will fall far below the cost of production.

Average milk prices are forecast at just 30–35 pence per litre, against estimated production costs of 39–44 pence per litre (Kite Consulting). On current trajectories, the FUW warns a typical Welsh dairy farm could lose thousands of pounds per month for as long as the downturn persists.

Following its committee meeting, the Union raised the matter directly with Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS during talks in Cardiff on Wednesday, December 3. Officials stressed the immediate threat facing family-run dairy farms and called for urgent consideration of government support to prevent long-term damage to the sector.

Gerwyn Williams, Chair of the FUW Animal Health and Dairy Committee, said the pace of the price crash was “unprecedented”.

“Farmers are facing an impossible situation where input costs remain high while the value of their product plummets. The viability of many family farms is now at serious risk. We need immediate assurances that this crisis is being treated with the urgency it deserves.

“Some can weather a short storm, but rumours that this could continue into summer 2026 will see businesses shut. These modest family farms have already invested heavily to meet regulatory requirements. Cuts on this scale will severely impact their ability to service repayments.”

FUW Deputy President Dai Miles warned that the consequences extend far beyond farm gates.

“Dairy farming underpins thousands of jobs in Wales and is central to the economic, social and environmental fabric of rural communities. When prices fall this sharply, it isn’t just farmers who suffer — local businesses, services and entire communities feel the impact.

“We have made it clear to the Deputy First Minister that government must work with the industry to provide immediate stability and a long-term resilience plan.”

The FUW says it will continue to work with the Welsh Government, processors and supply-chain partners to seek solutions and secure fair, sustainable prices for producers.

Business

Holiday lets allowed to stay at Narberth dairy farm

Published

1 week ago

December 5, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL for a Pembrokeshire dairy farm to keep two “alternative” holiday pods sited without permission as a way of diversifying in an uncertain industry has been given the go-ahead.

In an application recommended for approval at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Vaynor Farm Ltd sought retrospective permission for the siting of two self-catering holiday accommodation pods at The Cart House, Vaynor Farm, Bethesda, near Narberth as part of a farm diversification enterprise.

It was before committee members as it was recommended for delegated conditional approval by senior officers despite being against the development plan.

Previous retrospective schemes, for two self-catering pods along with an application to retain a shepherd hut accommodation pod at another farm, a part of the Vaynor Farm farm enterprise, were refused in 2023 and 2025, the latter due to “an unjustified and harmful impact on the character and appearance of the open countryside”.

Detailing the current application, an officer report for members said the pods: Vaynor Farm Pod within the garden of The Cart House, and The Paddock Pod, on the edge of a small paddock, were constructed off-site and have been transported to their current locations, with external decking, hot tubs, a barbecue area and car parking provided for each pod.

It added: “A business plan has been submitted with the application, which explains that due to uncertainties associated with dairy farming, the applicant has sought to diversify the farm enterprise to incorporate tourism accommodation.

“The application makes the case that the proposed development represents farm diversification. It is acknowledged that the development has resulted in the provision of an alternative type of holiday accommodation for which it has been demonstrated there is a demand, contributing to the diversity and quality of accommodation available within the county and supporting an existing farm business, with consequent economic and social benefits.

“Evidence has been provided that demonstrates the extent to which the pods have provided income which has been used to support the farm business.

“However, officers consider that should planning permission be granted, a [planning obligation] will be necessary to ensure that the accommodation pods continue to support the farm business and are not separated from it at some future point in time.”

Delegated conditional approval limiting the use and occupation of the self-catering accommodation pods to short term holiday use only was moved by Cllr Brian Hall and unanimously backed by committee members.